Tuesday, July 26, 2011

News of Yore: The Chronicles of Russell Henderson

Mr. Russell Henderson, the talented young cartoonist of The Charlotte Chronicle, leaves this morning for Durham to enter Trinity College. Those interested in his work will be glad to know that he will continue his contributions to the paper….

3/11/1912

Mr. Russell Henderson leaves tomorrow night for Pittsburg, Pa., where he has accepted the position of sporting editor and cartoonist of The Pittsburg Post....

2/26/1913

Mr. Russell Henderson, who for the past year has been cartoonist on The Pittsburg Post, arrived here yesterday to spend a while. He has resigned his position there after achieving much success. He is considering a number of offers.

3/16/1913

…By special request Manager Gidley has secured as one of the features for the first half, Mr. Russell Henderson, well known in Charlotte and Pittsburg, for his ability as a cartoonist. Mr. Henderson will present a delightful act entitled, "Chalk and Talk."

3/18/1913

The center of attraction at the Piedmont Theater for the first three days is Mr. Russell Henderson, a Charlotte product who has won a reputation for himself as a cartoonist. Mr. Henderson is doing lightning cartoon work….His work is done on black crayon, and is creating considerable praise. The young man has talent, and works with the ease and swiftness of professional cartoonists of the stage.

5/4/1913

The only school of illustrative work in the South Atlantic States has been opened in Charlotte. It is known as the Southern School of Cartooning and Illustrative Drawing. The studio is located on the third floor of The Observer building on South Tryon street. Mr. Russell Henderson...will be in charge of the teaching, being president and general manager….

12/26/1913

Mr. and Mrs. William Crittendon Scott

request the honor of your presence

at the marriage of their daughter

Gladys Freeman

to

Mr. Russell Spain Henderson

on Tuesday evening, January the sixth

nineteen hundred and fourteen

at eight o'clock

Saint Peter's Episcopal Church

Charlotte, North Carolina.

Reception

immediately after the ceremony

3/1/1914

Mr. Russell S. Henderson, formerly of the staff of The Evening Chronicle but now connected with The Chicago Record-Herald as cartoonist, has been highly honored in that he has been put in charge of the cartooning department of the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts.

12/18/1915

Mr. and Mrs. Russell Henderson and son, Billy, of Westerville, Ohio, will arrive in the city next week to spend Christmas with Mr. Henderson's parents….Mr. Henderson is cartoonist for The National Anti-Saloon Magazine of America.

6/5/1917

Russell S. Henderson, cartoonist for the National Anti-Saloon League, has resigned his position with that organization and will become cartoonist and feature writer for The Richmond Virginian, the daily organ of the Anti-Saloon League of Virginia….

4/19/1918

...Mr. Henderson is connected with the American Issue Publicity company of Columbus. He has met with splendid success.

His cartoons of political nature have been reproduced frequently in Review of Reviews, Literary Digest, Cartoons Magazine and other publications during the past three years. His cartoons for "dry" publications at national anti-saloon headquarters have been reproduced in various publications in eight different countries. He is now drawing a page of cartoons each week for The Richmond Virginian and two cartoons a week for American Issue. He will be in Charlotte about a month and will then go to Black Mountain, where he will spend a year illustrating two books.

…dinner given by the North Carolina Society of Pennsylvania, at the Manufacturers' club in Philadelphia…This was the first annual dinner tendered by the Society after its inauguration in Philadelphia in 1920.…Russell Henderson...is now holding a splendid position as cartoonist with the Philadelphia papers.

[Russell Spain Henderson was born in Summerton, South Carolina on September 21, 1890, according to a family tree at Ancestry.com. In the 1900 U.S. Federal Census, he was the second of five children born to James and Ida; they lived in Spartanburg, South Carolina at 86 Oakland Avenue.

In 1910 they lived in Charlotte, North Carolina at 804 West Trade Street. The census recorded Henderson's occupation as newspaper correspondent. He married Gladys Freeman Scott on January 6, 1914; they lived in Chicago. A sample of his work on The Adventures of Ziggy and Zim is here. From the June(?) 1914 issue of Cartoons Magazine:

When The Cyclone Struck

With the consolidation of the Chicago Inter Ocean and the Chicago Record-Herald, Russell S. Henderson, the sport cartoonist of the latter paper, began looking for new worlds to conquer. The coming in of the new management is referred to by Henderson as a cyclone which swept him, together with others, overboard.

During his connection with the Record-Herald Henderson had gained a wide following, mainly through his "Poker" series, picturing various phases of the national pastime. Before joining the staff of the Chicago paper he was connected with the Pittsburgh Post and the Sun. He filled the vacancy on the Record-Herald left by Ed Mack, who went with the Hearst syndicate in New York.

Henderson signed his World War I draft card on June 5, 1917. He was a cartoonist for the American Issue Publishing Company. His address was 92 University Street in Westerville, Ohio. His description was tall height, slender build, with brown eyes and black hair.

The 1920 census recorded Henderson, his wife and three sons in Blendon Township, Ohio at 92 University Street. He was a cartoonist for a newspaper. His wife passed away on December 1, 1929, as recorded in the book, Cowherd Genealogy (1962). Henderson has not been found in the 1930 census. According to the family tree, he passed away in 1959 at Winnsboro, South Carolina.]

My name is Allan Holtz. I am a comic strip historian, and author of "American Newspaper Comics: An Encyclopedic Reference Guide." This blog is my outlet for all manner of interesting, oddball and rare material related to comic strip history. It is also a forum where others interested in comic strip history are encouraged to participate through the comments, or even by contributing articles.
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